The Round Earth mindset has been a bit of a fascination of mine over the last few months. Recently, I've discussed some individuals' desire to reject information that doesn't match up with their imagination, specifically focusing on the GoPro photo taken from Everest which was floated about as "proof" of the Earth's rotundity. Hilariously, some RE proponents decided to reinforce my interpretation of their mindset by overreacting and demonstrating the very patterns I was accusing them of.
Anyway, it's time to dig into another story, one which has written itself while I wasn't paying attention. Back in March of 2018, everyone's favourite pop-scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson decided to publish a video on just how absurd the Flat Earth Theory is, in his mind.
Of course, most readers here will immediately notice one major issue: Neil has no clue what he's talking about, and I'm not just talking about his belief in RET. Neil forgot to
RTFM.
But that's not new. We get people who failed to read the FAQ every day - NdGT's fame and wealth doesn't make him inherently more likely to educate himself before he opens his mouth. But this is where this story turns fun. An astute journalist at the Washington Post did read the FAQ, and while she managed to completely misunderstand some of what's been written, she successfully contrasted some of Neil's claims with our "nonsense" - pointing out that he's simply not addressing our claims.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/03/12/why-neil-degrasse-tyson-failed-to-prove-earth-isnt-flat/Once again, we're left with a bleak image of society. Those who are supposed to lead the charge in educating the masses struggle to find it in themselves to actually research the subject they're intending to discuss, and prestigious journalistic outlets find it difficult to mount a more coherent response than "haha this is obviously stupid!"
But, as always, these dumpster fires ultimately end up advancing our cause. The WaPo article has recently resurged on social media, and people are noticing the lack of a credible response in the article. Ultimately, WaPo volunteered to act as a backlink farm for the Flat Earth Society. For that, I graciously thank them.